For Love

Chapter 13

Though the waves heave, soft will ye sleep
Ocean's a royal bed
Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep
Watch by your weary head

Almost finished, Laurie skipped the chorus to finish the last verse of one of the few songs she remembered her mother singing while she hung the few remaining items in her basket:

Burned are our homes, exile and death
Scatter the loyal men
Yet e'er the sword cool in the sheath
Charlie will come again.

The song made the work light, and she looked up at the sun and smiled. What a good day she was having! It wasn't even noon yet, and she was finished with the wash. Jason had told her he'd bring it in when he got home, so that bought her some extra time to do other things. If she hurried, she could have the soot banished from the fireplace, and perhaps even part of the floor scrubbed before it was time to focus her attention on supper preparations. She swung the basket to her hip and almost ran into her husband when she turned.

"Jason!" she said, one hand reaching out to keep herself from flying into his chest. "I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"I heard you singing," he said, his soft voice full of emotion, although she wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling. "And then I saw you looking up... The sunlight in your hair, the brightness of your eyes..."

Jason took the basket from her and let it drop to the ground as he took a step closer. She felt frozen in place while he traced her jawline in light touches before capturing her chin with his thumb and forefinger. His voice low, he murmured her name, and her breath hitched when she met his eyes. They reflected the azure sky above his unruly curls, and they held her gaze as he used a gentle pull to lift her face as he dipped his head low to meet her in a kiss. Laurie's eyes closed, and she felt more than a tingle in her belly when his lips tenderly pressed against hers, and with each passing second that he lingered, growing anticipation ignited an awareness throughout her body. When he withdrew for a few heartbeats to watch her reaction, she stepped closer, her arms encircling his waist.

With a confident smile, Jason lowered his head again, but this time his lips commanded hers with an ardor that took her breath away, and within moments she found herself enjoying the thick flavor of rich coffee tinged with whiskey. He held her firmly, putting one arm around her while his other hand pressed her into his body at the small of her back. Cocooned in his arms, she felt safe, the tension in her shoulders slipping away with reality. Her fingers fumbled to find their way up his jacket to wrap her arms around his neck. He broke away from her mouth to kiss her cheek, followed with several more kisses traveling down her neck and back up to her ear, leaving a fiery trail of goosebumps in their wake as he leaned her back over his arm. No one had ever kissed her like this before, and she didn't want him to stop. The lovely sensations pulsing throughout her body in parts the nuns would have preferred Laurie not admit she had were positively sinful, and her heart lept wildly as she realized she wanted more. More of whatever this was, these feelings that confused her.

He returned to her lips, and a tiny moan escaped from her throat. With a guttural sound of his own, he released his hold on her to tangle one hand in her hair, the other caressing her cheek, his kiss reaching a level of fervency that weakened her resolve to be a proper woman. Just when she thought she might melt to the ground and let him do anything he wanted to her, he closed their interlude with a few tender kisses, his teeth grazing against her lips in a gentle, sucking manner that left them tingling when he severed their connection.

They were both breathless, and he watched her with an expression that looked like a mix of admiration and desire. She blushed and put her head on his chest, partially to hide her feelings, and partially to steady her trembling frame. She felt grateful when he wrapped both his arms around her to hold her close, his chin resting on her head. She could feel his heart hammer against her and smoothed his jacket over his chest while she tried to collect her thoughts.